Miami— July 01, 2020—After months of unsettling news, today we take a moment to celebrate a new auction record for Cuban Master Wifredo Lam, an artist who Tresart has placed special focus since the gallery’s very first show in 2000.  At $9.6 million Lam’s Omi Obini (1943) broke the artist’s previous record of $5.2 million (set in 2017), giving a major boost to Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale that was held virtually on Monday, June 29.  Lam created the painting in 1943, after returning to Cuba from Europe in 1941. The artist said of his homecoming that it “…meant, above all, a great stimulation of my imagination, as well as the exteriorization of my world.” 

In a sale that included stellar names such as Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, and René Magritte, Lam’s work was the highlight of the sale and cover of the catalog.  The painting was part of a selection of works from a distinguished collection of museum-quality works from Latin America that included masterworks by Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, Roberto Matta and Mario Carreño’s Cortadores de Caña (1943), which also set a record for the Cuban artist, at $2.7 million. Ten of the 11 works of surrealist and modern art from Latin America made $26.6of the $62.8 million total, and set five new auction records in the category. 

It gives us great satisfaction to see the works of Lam and other Latin American masters rightfully placed within the context of the Western art world and becoming such a prominent role in today’s market.  As we celebrate this important milestone for Lam, we remind our readers of our continuous commitment to supporting the histories and markets of Latin American masters by offering important works and expert guidance to our clients. Contact us to schedule your next visit or call.  We look forward to sharing our expertise with you.

Photo: Detail, Wifredo Lam, Omi Obini, 1943. Oil on canvas. 72 x 49 in (182.9 x 124.5 cm). Courtesy of Sotheby’s